Noah comes out strong after benching; Thibodeau shrugs off minor stir

Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau merely sat Joakim Noah for the fourth quarter and overtime of one game over the weekend, which created a minor stir in Bulls land. Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni announced before Monday's late tipoff at the United Center that Pau Gasol is out as his starting power forward permanently, replaced by unheralded Earl Clark.

The Lakers lurched into town for their lone visit saddled with their longest road losing streak in close to six years, a sub-.500 record and a real possibility they would miss the playoffs for the first time since 2005.

At least the Bulls sit in strong playoff position when they create headlines, which they did again Monday when Thibodeau said Derrick Rose is "very close" to being cleared for full contact in practice.

As for Noah, he responded with a spirited first-half effort against the Lakers after getting benched for the final 22 minutes, 53 seconds of Saturday's overtime loss to the Grizzlies. Just as Thibodeau expected his emotional center to do.

"He has responded well since I've been here," Thibodeau said. "So I always expect that. I expect the best out of him."

On Saturday, Thibodeau merely said sitting Noah was "a coach's decision" without elaborating. That changed after Monday's morning shootaround when Thibodeau grew more expansive.

"We were struggling. We were behind," Thibodeau said. "The group that got in there got us back in the game. It was more the way that unit was rolling. I just felt we were so flat that that group was either going to win the game or lose the game for us. They were the ones that overcame a big deficit.

"That's usually the case. In the first half, I always go back with the starters. In the second half, if we're struggling it's going to be the group that is going well. That's the way it is."

Asked if he felt the need to communicate this to Noah, Thibodeau shrugged.

"No, he understands," he said. "He's been around. The team has to come first. That's the most important thing. Sometimes that happens. It's not a big deal."

Noah declined to speak to reporters after the morning shootaround. But Taj Gibson, one of Noah's closest friends, agreed with Thibodeau that the issue isn't one.

"He wasn't edgy at all," Gibson said of Noah's mood. "We had a great walk-through. We were talking, laughing like we always do, running plays.

"We're like a family. Guys put that in the back of their head. We understand we have one goal and that's to win games and challenge for a championship. It's a long season. Things are going to happen. Heads are going to get butted. But we all love each other. We all know it's for the best of the team. We're men. One thing about men is you have to let stuff go. We don't hold grudges. We let stuff go and get ready for the next game."

That the Lakers served as the next game invigorated the Bulls, who said they weren't fooled by the Lakers' underwhelming record. Gibson went so far as to call them a "dominant team."

"They've had a lot of change. They've had injury," Thibodeau said. "Anytime you have Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, World Peace, Gasol, that's a loaded team. Mike is a great coach. This team is very, very dangerous."

The Bulls can be, too, particularly when Noah is engaged, Rose is healthy and the drama remains at a minimum.